Tenderloin cartographers shine light on neighborhood's character

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Uptown Tenderloin Historical District has created a walking map of the area and is distributing it to bars, restaurants, cafes and hotels. The map highlights the neighborhood’s ethnic diversity, cutting-edge art and nightlife and more than 30 historic buildings listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. Randy Shaw is a spokesman for the group.

Why create a walking map of the Uptown Tenderloin Historical District? We’re trying to give people a new sense of the district and show them the positive instead of the negative. It’s an undiscovered area of San Francisco. People don’t realize it’s a great place to check out for its architecture, businesses, restaurants and bars.

Why don’t people already know about it? It’s a combination of reasons. There are a great selection of bars and restaurants that people know about individually, but they don’t see it as part of a neighborhood.

Is this meant just for tourists? This is more for people who’ve been here a few times or people who live in other districts. We need more of a cross-fertilization.